Unbreakable Bonds
by MamaLoser
Summary: Katie Bell has never really been sure that she was beautiful, what with her gorgeous older sister living with her all her life. But she does have what her sister can't: An unbreakable bond with her five best friends.
1. Chapter 1- Prologue

Chapter 1: Prologue

It started out like a dream. I was eleven years old, finally old enough to get into Hogwarts. My older sister had never gotten her letter, but that was alright, she had said.  
_ "Really, sis, I'm fine. After all, I've never truly been into magic. The Muggle world is the world for me."_  
That's what she told me when I looked at her with concern flooding my face all those years ago when my brother got his yearly letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but no acceptance letter had come for her. I was five at the time. Now I was eleven, heading off to King's Cross Station to board the Hogwarts Express. This was a dream come true.  
The wall between Platforms 9 and 10 looked solid enough, but I knew better.  
"Alright, sweetheart, together now," my father said, placing a hand on my shoulder.  
He led me through the barrier at a run so no passing Muggles would notice. Muggles were a bit slow sometimes, but I was fascinated by them. My sister always brought me things from shopping with her friends- she attended Muggle schools and stayed with them often since they couldn't come to our house by Wizarding Law. I had many movies from an American Muggle production agency called "Disney." They were a bit dull and the witches were always horrid, nothing like real life. She promised next time she went shopping, she'd bring me a better film.  
In all honesty, I loved my home, but I had no friends like my sister did. She was tall, blonde, beautiful, well-endowed, and popular. She was seventeen years old. I, meanwhile, was eleven. I was short for my age, with mouse-brown hair and matching brown eyes. I was scrawny. My dad always said I was beautiful, but I knew better. He was a father after all. He was supposed to say that.  
I secretly hoped that I would someday live past my sister. I would be a star Quidditch player. I would marry someone rich like the legendary Harry Potter who had supposedly been left riches in Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts by his parents who'd been murdered by You-Know-Who. I would become the most beautiful witch in London. Nothing would get in my way.  
Except the fact I had no friends yet.  
As I made my way through the train corridor, I fantasized about my future. When the train began moving, I realized I'd better find a seat. Unfortunately, most of the compartments were full. I moved along until I found one with an opening. There were five other people in there, second-years probably, but hopefully they wouldn't mind sharing with this scrawny first-year.  
"Well well well! What do we have here?" one of the boys, tall with red hair, chocolate brown eyes, and freckles, said putting one hand on the train wall behind me.  
"Oh my. A little first year lost on the train?" this one was the same. Identical. Red hair, brown eyes, and freckles. He was maybe an inch taller though.  
"How may we be of service, m'lady?" This boy was different. He had dark skin and his hair was rolled into dreadlocks. The three were clearly very close friends.  
"For Merlin's sake, don't _scare_ the poor thing," said a girl, shoving them out of the way. She had dark skin, too, and her hair was tied back in a bun on top of her head. She was the leader of the group, I suspected. "Sorry about them. They can be a real handful. What's your story, girly? Need a place to sit? A shoulder to cry on?"  
"A good laugh?"  
"Can it, Ginger!" the other girl in the compartment said, kicking the twin who had spoke in the shin.  
"Ow! Blimey Alicia! What in the name of Merlin's beard was that for?"  
The girl, blond hair, blue eyes, and all, simply sniffed and turned away.  
_ She's one of _those_ girls_, I thought.  
The girl in front of me rolled her eyes.  
"Name's Angelina Johnson," she said, extending a hand. I accepted it. "This is Alicia Spinnet and Lee Jordan. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there are Fred and George Weasley."  
"The _infamous_ Fred and George Weasley," one of them, the shorter one, corrected.  
"Yeah don't forget we saved your arses last year. You should be thanking Fred and I," the other one added.  
Angelina punched each of them in the shoulder.  
"Listen, sods. I think you're forgetting the whole reason you two have all us as friends in the first place."  
"Blimey, Ange. Do you really have to hit us every time we displease you?" George said, rubbing his arm. I giggled.  
"So! What's your name, beautiful?" Fred said, snaking an arm around my shoulder.  
"My name's Katie. Katie Bell," I said kindly, smiling at them all.  
"Well, Miss Katie Bell, I should warn you," Angelina said to me. "If you wanna join this group, you _don't_ know what you're getting yourself into. The twins are nothing but trouble for girls and teachers alike. Lee's their wingman. Alicia nice enough once you get to know her. And as for me-"  
George snorted. "Good luck," he said, winking, getting him another smack from Angelina.  
I smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry about me, Angelina. I think I'll fit in just perfectly."  
And so, our unbreakable bond was built.


	2. Chapter 2: Lucky Little Gits

**A/N: Hello, Muggles and Wizards who are reading this! Yes, I realize that Katie's the only character I have listed so far BUT that's only cuz I haven't decided all the details yet! SO! Enjoy, madafakas.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter other than the wand and scarf I purchased from the theme park last week, nor do I own Fred, George, Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Lee, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny- you get it, don't you. I am not J.K. Rowling nor will I ever be. *teardrop* **

Chapter 2: Lucky Little Gits

"Oh, don't be so jealous there, Katie-Bug," George said, pulling me into a one-armed hug. I continued pouting and kept my arms crossed.

"C'mon, Kates," Fred coaxed from my other side, leaning down to stare at me until I finally cracked. "You can't be mad forever."

"Who says I can't, Frederick?" I bit my tongue. _Dammit. They did it again._

"Hah! Gotcha talkin'!"

"Oh, can it, George," I said, moving out of his embrace and sitting on the floor by the fireplace.

It was the end of my fourth year. Final exams were almost over and everyone was beginning to pack up for the summer holidays. George, Fred, and I were in the common room waiting on Lee, Angelina, and Alicia to return from dinner. We'd gone to the kitchens as a final visit of the year to the darling house elves. They really were quite charming. It's a shame many people treat them so cruelly.

Fred and George had just told me they were going to the Quidditch World Cup the upcoming summer. Those lucky little gits. They hadn't even invited me! Me! Their best friend! Okay, that's a lie. Their best friend is Lee... But still! Summer is when the whole group gets together and stays at the Burrow and gets stuffed with delicious food by Mrs. Weasley and has mini Quidditch matches in the front lawn and messes with Fred and George's brothers and sister! They can't just up and change the tradition! It wasn't fair!

Okay, I wasn't mad about that. Really I was just jealous. It was Ireland vs Bulgaria this year. Viktor Krum, literally the most gorgeous athlete on the planet, was going to be playing and I was MISSING it. It was completely unfair! The Weasley's had invited Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, but they couldn't let Fred and George invite us!? Okay, so they're low on money (that's an understatement) and Harry had probably paid for himself... Now that I thought about it, I was being unreasonable. I should just shut up and move on.

So we were in the common room already planning pranks for the next year. Eventually, the others joined us. It was ll. Our friendship couldn't be matched by anything. No one else had this bond. Except maybe Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but they were bonded through different reasons, being the Gryffindor heros that they were. They'd saved Quirrel from Voldemort's control, still killing him in the process, but still. They'd saved Ginny Weasley last year. Rumor now has it that they somehow saved Hagrid's hippogrif Buckbeak from being executed just last week. But that's only a rumor. No one's confirmed it yet. Those three are amazing in their way and we, the token pranksters of the school, are amazing in more ways than one.

"OH BLIMEY, GINGER! COME ON! REALLY?!"

Exhibit A: Our pranking skills.

Lee's hair was now a bright shade of pink, his least favorite color. Fred and I laughed hysterically, earning us a glare from the boy. He smirked evilly and waved his wand. I dodged, but Fred was far too slow. His hair was now rapidly alternating between every shade of purple imaginable.

"Joke's on you! Purple's my favorite!"

Fred and Lee sent prank spells and hexes back and forth at each other. George and I sat and watched while Angelina pretended not to know them and Alicia flirted with our Quidditch captain Oliver Wood who would be graduating from Hogwarts in a few days.

After all the laughter and shenanigans had died down, George sighed and wiped away one of his tears from laughing so hard and lay his head in my lap. Or was it Fred? No wait. I blinked a little and my vision cleared. His face was narrower than the twin sitting up next to Lee, so it was George. I had a hard time telling them apart sometimes. Not usually, but after a laughing fit when my eyes are still blurred from tears, it's a little hard.

I looked down at him and, smirking, raised an eyebrow. "Might I help you, Georgie?"

"Well, for one, you could start by looking past the Polyjuice and realizing by now that I'm Fred," the boy said, grinning. The minute changes between Fred and George's facial features began to shift to match the other twin. I hit myself in the forehead. How didn't I see that coming? George never lays in my lap or sits near me. And Fred isn't as close to Lee as George is. Of course they'd used Polyjuice Potion.

"Honestly, woman. You call yourself our best friend," the REAL George said, grinning from his spot by Lee. They exchanged a high-five.

"Using Polyjuice is _cheating_, you wankers."

Fred pretended to look shocked. "Katherine! Such language! I'm shocked!"

I smacked him in the arm and he cried out in mock pain. I never hit the boys hard enough to actually hurt them. I left that to Ange. At that moment, Harry came in through the portrait hole carrying loads of letters. It'd been his turn to fetch everyone's mail. He threw everyone their rightful letters and packages. I knew I wouldn't get anything. My sister was too caught up in the Muggle technology to ever write and my parents were both at work at this time of day, especially now that Sirius Black was at large again. The Ministry had been calling them in for overtime nearly every night.

I was rather surprised when Harry thrust a letter at me, smiling a fake smile. Had he opened my mail? No. It was the seal on the envelope. It was from the Ministry. My heart pounded in my chest. A thousand possibilities rang in my mind. _They've been attacked. They're in St. Mungo's. Sirius Black's found them. Jessica's been arrested for something. Spencer's in trouble. My family's been murdered_.

Slowly I opened the letter, hands trembling, not sure that I wanted to know what was inside.

_Dearest Katie,_  
_ I'm sorry to have to write to you during work. I'm sure the official seal worried you. Everyone is perfectly fine, there's no need for worry. Minister Fudge requires that all mail being sent out must be sealed with the Ministry's seal. Your father and I have been called on an urgent meeting out of town and we're not sure when we'll be back. Jessica's going to be on her trip to Paris to visit her friend's cousin and Spencer is still in Romania, so clearly you can't stay home while we're gone. I've had it made with Arthur Weasley that you can stay with them until our return. Just in case we're gone the entire summer, I've enclosed a ticket to the Quidditch World Cup so you won't be stuck alone with Mrs. Weasley and their bugger of a son while Arthur and the other children are off having fun. I went through hell and back to get this for you so please, darling, try not to misplace it. Have fun with your friends, my dear. I do hope to see you soon._  
_Love always,_  
_Mum_

I stared at the letter. Fred read over my shoulder and whistled.

"Your mum must really love you, Kates. Those tickets aren't cheap. Even dad had to pay an arm and a leg for ours and we're in what Americans call the 'nosebleed section.'"

I didn't know what to say. If I was going with them... then I'm a lucky little git, too.


End file.
